Stacked arrangement of beds



United States Patent 3,011,180 STACKED ARRANGEMENT OF BEDS Mary T. Majeski, 24 Madeline Parkway, Yonkers, N .Y. Filed Apr. 15, 1959, Ser. No. 806,478 1 Claim. (Cl. 5-9) This invention relates to a space-saving arrangement for beds and more particularly to beds arranged in an overlying or stacked relationship.

The increase in population and general lack of adequate housing has resulted in the adoption of beds arranged in stacked or overlying relationship to each other. By the use of such a stacked arrangement, it has been possible to conserve floor space and permit thereby sleeping rooms to be more fully utilized. Such a space-saving arrangement has gained-wide acceptance for the use of the bed known popularly as a bunk bed. In the commonly known form a bunk bed comprises sleeping accommodations for two people, and in this arrangement, the top bed is arranged directly over the bottom bed.

The average room has certain height limitations and accordingly a bed arranged in conventional stacked fashion to accommodate three people would fit in such a room with difiiculty. The height of the top tier above the floor would also present a hazard to the occupant. It is possible to reduce the overall height of beds in a conventional stacked relationship by reducing the head room available over each bed. In order to fit in the room of standard height conveniently the headroom would be required to be reduced to a height that would make the bed inconvenient for the sleeper. This invention relates to a stacked relationship of beds designed to accommodate three people in a comfortable fashion with a nominal total headroom requirement.

This invention accordingly has among its major objects the accommodation of three people in a stacked arrangement of beds having a headroom requirement easily fitted into the average sleeping room.

A second object is to provide a piece of space-saving furniture serving the dual and cooperating function of ice Similarly, horizontal sides 9, 10 and 11 define a third bed tier and are support means for a spring and mattress. Sides 9 and 10 depend on upright support member 3 at one end of their length and are supported at or near their other end by upright posts 12 and 13. Posts 12 and 13 are attached to and depend for support on horizontal sides 5' and 6.

In accordance with the arrangement described, the third bed tier in thestacked arrangement defined by sides 9, 10, 11 is positioned in a vertical aligned overlying relationship with respect to the first bed tier which has sides 1 and 2. The second bed tier having sides 5, 6 and 7, only partially overlies the first bed tier and space is thereby provided. above the first bed tier unobstructed by the second bed tier. The unobstructed space over the first tier is limited only by the distance between the providing sleeping arrangements for three people and storage facilities in the space portions of the structural arrangement not occupied by the beds.

In accordance with the present invention a stacked arrangement of beds is provided wherein the first and third tier of beds are in substantially vertically aligned relationship and the tier interposed between the first and third tier of beds is displaced horizontally by an amount sutficient to provide headroom for the occupant of the first and second bed tier. The first and third bed tier have a common vertical'support member. Similarly the first and second bed tier have a common upright support member. An additional vertical support is provided to maintain the overhanging end of the second bed tier. The third bed tier depends for support at one end on posts extending upwardly from the second bed tier.

The brief description of the invention will be more readily understood by reference to the accompanying drawing.

The figure is an isometric view of the bed arrange ment illustrating the full utilization of floor space.

With reference to the drawing, horizontal sides 1 and 2 are support members for a spring and mattress not shown and define a first bed tier in a stacked arrangement of beds. Sides 1 and 2 depend on upright support member 3 at one end of their length and depend on upright support 4 at their other length extremity.

Horizontal sides 5, 6 and 7 define a second bed tier and are support means for a spring and mattress; Sides 5 and 6 depend on upright support member 4 at a point intermediate between their ends. Sides 5 and 6 depend on upright support member 8 at one end of their length.

first and third bed tier in a vertical direction and by upright support member 3 and side 7 in a horizontal plane.

By displacing the second bed tier from vertically aligned relationship with the first and third bed tier, a portion of the second bed tier extends beyond the vertical .projection of the first and third bed tier.

with his head adjacent to upright support member 3.

Accordingly as described, a clear, unobstructed space would be available above his head since the second bed tier does not abut against the support member 8. The person lying in the second bed tier would preferably lie with his head adjacent to upright support member 8 and accordingly only the lower portion of his body would lie within the framework of the stacked beds occupying positions one and three. It can be readily seen that the person occupying the third bed tier may lie in either direction without obstruction, since no overlying bed is present. 1

By aligning the occupants of the first and second tier as described, it is possible for each of the occupants to sit upright in the bed without obstruction from the bed above. The first, second and third bed, therefore, need only be spaced apart sufficiently to provide room in a vertical direction for the lower portion of the persons body. By this arrangement, it is possible to provide a compact bed structure with closely spaced bed tiers requiring a total headroom equal or only slightly exceeding the headroom required in a conventional stacked bed having sleeping space for only two persons. It will be understood that the total headroom requirements of the bed structure will be based on the spacing of the individual bed tiers. The invention, when employed as a bed for children, will preferably have closely spaced bed tiers, in order that the total height of the structure will be a minimum.

In a preferred design, the third bed tier has a total height above floor level not exceeding four feet. The spacing between the first and second and second and third bed tiers depends on the width of sides 5, 6 and 7,

and the thickness of the spring and mattress positioned thereon. While limiting the total height to fourfeet, it is possible to have'a bed spacing of 16 inches.

In a conventional arrangement of stacked beds in vertically aligned relationship, the provision of a third tier would represent a hazard to the occupant of this third tier because of the height from the floor. Consequently, a major advantage of the compacted arrangement, which is a part of this invention, is the provision of a third bed tier at a safe height from the floor.

It can also be noted from the arrangement described in the drawing that both the second and the third bed are readily accessible without the aid of a ladder. The

ascent from the first to the second tier can be easily accomplished by a child. The child needs only stand on the first tier and climb onto the overhanging end of the second tier. The ascent to the third tier is made in a similar fashion.

An object of the invention is to utilize fully the floor space available within the floor area encompassed by the framework of the beds. Accordingly, a chest of drawers has been provided within the space defined by upright support 4, the bed sides 5 and 6 for a portion of their length and upright support 8. Upright support members 4 and 8 serve a dual function in providing support for the bed sides and further providing support for the horizontal guides 14, 15 and 16, upon which drawers 17, 18 and 19 slide.

In order to provide storage facilities for toys or other articles, storage boxes 20, 21 and 22 are provided under the lower bed tier and under the chest of drawers. The storage boxes preferably are provided with small wheels whereupon they may be rolled easily inwardly or outwardly to a desired position.

By the provision of drawers and storage boxes within the floorspace occupied by the frame of the beds, an article of furniture is provided having the function of furnishing sleeping and storage facilities for three people within a single unit. However, it should be understood that the number of drawers and storage boxes provided can be varied and the invention is not limited to the combination of three drawers and three storage boxes described.

It should be also understood that although the invention has been described with reference to the accompanying drawing, the invention is not limited by the specific embodiment shown therein. The purposes of the invention can be accomplished, for example, by providing upright post members in place of the upright support member 3, which is shown in the drawing as a solid form. In a similar manner, upright support members 4 and 8 can be replaced by upright posts arranged to support the bed sides in the same manner as the solid members shown. Where posts are employed, lateral bracing members connecting adjacent posts are required to provide the required rigidity of structure.

I claim:

A bedroom set comprising three beds, two of said beds in a permanent vertically aligned spaced relationship, a headboard arranged for the common support of the two aligned beds along one end, the third bed permanently interposed between the two aligned beds in a longitudinal offset from the aligned beds to form relative to said aligned beds an overhang of substantially half the length of said interposed bed and forming thereby beneath the overhang an alcove, a footboard arranged to support an end of the lower aligned bed and to further support at a position substantially medial of its length the interposed bed, a second headboard arranged for support of the overhanging end of the interposed bed, said interposed bed cantilevering on its opposed end, two upright support members for the upper aligned bed depending on the cantilever portion of the interposed bed, and a set of drawers positioned in said alcove and slideably depending on said footboard and on said second headboard.

References Qited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 544,783 Fielding Aug. 20, 1895 905,764 Terpenning Dec. 1, 1908 1,304,440 Zagelmeyer May 20, 1919 1,864,710 Austin June 28, 1932 2,567,986 Barrett Sept. 18, 1951 2,640,996 Davis June 9, 1958 FOREIGN PATENTS 438,683 France Mar. 21, 1912 981,385 France Jan. 10, 1951 553,986 Italy Jan. 4, 1957 215,929 Australia July 4, 1958 

